


The Provenience of Love

by Harky21



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Academia, Archaeology, Archaeology field school, Bearded Victor Nikiforov, M/M, Probably a lot of archaeology puns?, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Viktor being where he's not supposed to, Yuuri and Phichit running their first field school!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-05-17 04:50:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14825580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harky21/pseuds/Harky21
Summary: Yuuri and Phichit finally have their own field school. It's the first season of the UCLA Mimbres Archaeological Project and Yuuri doesn't want it to fail! (Especially after the wreck of a conference he had in April.) But even arriving the week before the students to prepare doesn't give him enough time to come to terms with the fact he has an unexpected coworker on the project.





	1. An Unexpected Guest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit- 6/26/18

_ Field House Porch, 2:30 PM _

Yuuri scans the porch again double checking that every paper, pencil, binder, and box is in its appropriate place. As the center of operations, the rundown screen porch needed to be impeccable for lessons as well as labs and dining. It wasn’t much, but at least it was something. Yes, they were all living in tents for six weeks, and yes there would be an outhouse and an outdoor shower station for solar shower bags once the students were here, but hey, budgets were tight and what was field school without a bit of ruggedness?

“I told you we could have the TA’s help set up the porch. You’re a director now Yuuri, learn to delegate.”

Grinning, Yuuri turns to find Phichit leaning against the door into the small field house clad in a dark green T-shirt, cargo shorts, and his favorite pair of Chacos, his regular downtime field outfit that Yuuri’s seen reemerge every season.

“Hey, I just want things to be ready for when we start tomorrow. I can’t have our graduate students thinking we don’t know how to run a project,” Yuuri teases back, despite the truth in his words.

“Well…”

“Don’t even.” 

Lifting his hands in defeat, Phichit shrugs.

“Speaking of which are you ready to go get said students?”

Looking around one more time he nods, nerves building with each step to the white monster of an SUV, UCLA scrawled across the side. For the first time, Yuuri is on the other side. He’s the professor. He’s picking up the graduate students from the McDonalds in middle of nowhere, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico because it’s the easiest place to find. He’s a co-director.

Yuuri really shouldn’t be that nervous, half of the students took classes with him during the Fall and Spring semesters, but he couldn’t help but think of all the things that could go wrong.

“It’s just the graduate students, don’t worry so much,” Phichit smiles as he gets behind the wheel. 

“Not to mention it’s just Mila and Sara. Ciao-Ciao put them on this dig specifically to work with us. Plus Georgi and Chris get in tomorrow. We just get set up and we’re good.”

“I know but what if something like the Indy Incident happens again?”

Phichit chuckles and Yuuri blushes. Talk about embarrassing excavation moments. He made Phichit and everyone else swear to the oath of what happens in the field stays in the field immediately, but that hardly mattered when Phichit still somehow managed to bring it up in casual conversation.

“That’s such a classic, I’d love to see it again.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Yuuri mumbles, jumping out of the car to open the gate. Phichit goes through slowly, allowing Yuuri a moment to appreciate the view. The gate out of the site area had the best view of the valley they were in, a perfect picture of the vast American West with rolling hills of grasses and the small ranch house tucked by the hill near where the trees lined the creek. Yuuri still couldn’t believe the huge swaths of land. Japan had nothing like this. The islands of his home country carved into pieces by mountains and rivers. Closing the gate he hops back into the SUV and they take off down the winding dirt road back towards town. 

It’s fifteen minutes before they pull into the McDonald’s parking lot. Yuuri spots Mila’s bright red Subaru before they walk in, shaking his head at how she can possibly make such a benign car still stand out.

A shout of “Yuuri!” pulls their attention over to where Mila is sitting with Sara, shakes and fries on the table.

“I thought I said you should be ready to go at 3PM in my email,” Phichit eyes the food on their table.

Sara almost drops her shake checking the time on her phone while Mila frowns.

“It’s 2:50,” she states flatly, obviously unamused by her professor’s antics.

“Well, in that case, I guess I could go for an ice cream cone. Want anything, Yuuri?”

He shakes his head, taking a seat next to Sara.

“How was the drive over?”

“Not bad if you consider splitting 13 hours of driving. People were slow, per usual.”

“I’m pretty sure you just drive too fast, Mila,” Sara smirks, rolling her eyes.

“No, everyone else is just slow.”

Yuuri watches as the two good-naturedly bicker as they eat.

“So what’s the schedule for tonight and tomorrow again?” Phichit comes back with a cone piled entirely too high with vanilla swirl.

The girls stop chatting and turn their attention back to Yuuri. 

No matter how long he instructs, Yuuri still shrinks away when all eyes are on him. It’s so much easier to speak when it’s just about ceramics. He takes a moment longer to compose himself before speaking.

“So tonight we need to set up the instructor solar shower area and start going through the supply inventory. We should have about four hours of light left. Then it’s Phichit’s turn to cook tonight. Tomorrow we finish inventory and Georgi, Chris, and Seung Gil should be here by noon. Then we hopefully have time to go out and start marking room units and I cook tomorrow night.”

“Please tell me we’re having your famous Katsudon,” Mila whines. 

“It’s an absolute legend in the department and the word is you only make it during field season,” Sara adds.

“Field season and finals,” Phichit snickers and Yuuri knocks his foot under the table just enough for him to fall forward slightly and get ice cream on his nose, a technique perfected during graduate school. Having the intended effect of a scowl, Yuuri changes the topic.

“Let's get a move on before we lose more daylight. Follow us down to site and please don’t lose us.”

“Seriously. That ranch gets new roads every year, I swear,” Phichit mutters heading to the door.

The four of them went back to the cars and headed to the ranch, anticipation and trepidation sinking in with the knowledge field season was officially starting.

* * *

_ Field House Yard, 11:50 AM _

“What time are they supposed to be here again?”

“Noon,” Yuuri replies irritatedly. The morning hadn’t been going as smoothly as Yuuri’d hoped. They were missing ten buckets from inventory and the coffee machine broke, meaning no coffee until they went back into town which wouldn’t be till later that afternoon. 

“And they’re bringing in the other two cars and the rest of the supplies right?” Phichit asks while looking at a spreadsheet.

“Yeah.”

“Okay, then I think, scratch that I  _ hope _ the buckets are in Georgi’s car. It looks like we may have miss marked the location on our sheet, so fingers crossed, otherwise, we’ll have to see what the local hardware store has.”

“Okay,” Yuuri sighs. “It’d certainly be better than being ten buckets down. We need to pick up lumber to make the student shower stalls anyway, so let’s just hope they’re in the truck, but if not, we need to go into town anyway.”

“Not to mention we need a new coffee pot.”

“Seriously. Talk about a way to start the field season,” Yuuri shakes his head. “But you know how it goes, we end up in town more than we like.”

“Are we going into town?” 

The screen door slams behind Mila and Sara as they enter the porch.

“Unless you’ve found the buckets and fixed the coffee pot, yes,” Yuuri grumbled.

“Hey, buck up Yuuri. It’s the first day. We have the week to sort out these glitches before the undergrads get here for a reason,” Phichit encourages, giving him a pat on the back.

A buzz from Phichit’s pocket pulls his attention away and he taps away at the screen a moment before looking up.

“Chris just messaged. They got to the gate and I gave them the code. So they should be here in a few minutes.”

Sure enough, a white truck and another SUV begin to crawl down the hill and to the clearing in front of the house.

Just seeing that the others got here okay with the rest of the supplies settled some of the anxiety that had slowly been building throughout the morning. Yuuri smiles and walks over to the cars as Georgi, Seung Gil, and Chris start to climb out. He stops though when he notices a fourth door opening. 

He’s about to turn to Phichit and ask if a student was coming early, but freezes. The man that steps out from behind the car door, sunglasses perched on his head, beard perfectly groomed, denim hugging all of the right places, and the embodiment of silver fox, is none other than Viktor Nikiforov. The archaeologist whose work Yuuri had been following since he was an undergraduate, the archaeologist who at every conference Yuuri had tried so hard to pluck up the courage to talk to, the archaeologist with more accolades than Yuuri could count, is standing right in front of him.

Viktor Nikforov is  _ here _ at their site.

Viktor Nikiforov is _definitely_ _not_ supposed to be here. 

“Viktor! Thank you so much for coming. We were missing a lithic specialist.”

Phichit steps up smiling and shakes Viktor’s hand like it’s an everyday occurrence. Like he knew that Viktor was coming and Chris hadn’t just pulled him out of…

Phichit  _ knew _ . 

Yuuri swears mentally, making a note to chew the man out for this. Phichit knows exactly how much Yuuri looks up to Viktor and he didn’t even deign to tell him Viktor Nikiforov of all people was coming to  _ their  _ site! 

“And Viktor this is Yuuri Katsuki, my co-director.”

Yuuri freezes as Viktor’s attention moves to him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Yuuri. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Yuuri swallows thickly, taking the other man’s outstretched hand, ignoring the tingling sensation enveloping his arm and the bright blue eyes trained on his own. 

This was going to be a very interesting field season and Yuuri couldn’t decide for the life of him how he felt about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo! First chapter down. So this AU has been stuck in my brain for.... at least 6 months? I do actually study archaeology, but I'm not in the field this summer so I decided to send the YoI characters there instead! Wooot. I have done work most of my work in the Mimbres area of the Southwest, which you will get to learn more about as the story continues (and as the undergrads come in). My goal is to get a chapter up each week. I usually write longer chapters and have a beta, but I just want to try and get my creative juices flowing this summer. It's kind of my own challenge to me. This is currently unedited, so if there are any glaring mistakes or plot holes you notice, please let me know. I hope to take a look at it in the morning and fix typos, but I really wanted to get it posted!
> 
> I am doing my best to define terms in the story through character discussion because it is a field school, but if there is a term you do not understand let me know and I will add the definition to the notes!
> 
> On that note, the title is a play on an archaeology term. Provenience means origin or location of an artifact or feature at a dig site and since Viktor and Yuuri's relationship will blossom at the site it is found/originates there! I know it's probably not as clever since I have to explain it. I maaaaay change the title later on as the story goes...
> 
> Thank you so much for reading the first chapter! Please post any questions or comments I love to chat! Hope you all have a great week!  
> ~Harky
> 
> You can find me on on [tumblr](http://midnightmooncatcher.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/mooncatcher21)! I always love chatting :)


	2. Small Hopes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phichit gives Viktor a site tour. Yuuri lectures Phichit. The crew has dinner and plans to begin work in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit- 6/26/18

_ Field House Yard, 12:00PM _

Phichit’s neck prickles, sending a tingle down his spine. He glances over his shoulder and catches sight of Yuuri’s death glare. Oh yes he is in for it later and he knows it, but Yuuri’s face when Viktor stepped out of the car was priceless and from Chris trying to control his laughter he apparently thought so too.

But that handshake…

Phichit already knew they had chemistry from what went down at the conference, even though Yuuri obviously couldn’t. And the number of times he had to sit and listen to Yuuri gush about the man when a new article came out, when they went to one of his talks, or even passed him in the hall at the conference, well… Phichit is thoroughly invested in trying to get these two together which meant this summer was going to be very fun.

Ignoring Yuuri’s glare, Phichit leads Viktor over to the porch to begin the tour of the field site. 

“So we have a lab area and dining here on the porch. We’re going to turn the living area inside into office space for teachers and grad students and the two back rooms are storage for artifacts when the boxes on the porch are filled.”

Looking around the area, hands in his pockets, Viktor hums in acknowledgment.

“And you brought camping gear right?” Phichit asks hesitantly.

“Oh, of course! I’ve worked at sites like this before. Ethiopia also had a large tent set up, so don’t worry,” he smiled.

“Excellent,” Phichit beams. “Now, let’s head out up to the site. It’s a small walk, but I want to let you know what’s been excavated already.”

“Sounds good. I did read the articles and field reports you sent me. It seems like the site mainly has chert, basalt, and obsidian lithic materials?”

“Yup! And the obsidian has already been sourced to Burr Creek which is one of the sites we’re visiting for a field trip.”

Phichit recognizes the spark in Viktor’s eye when he mentions sourcing. It’s the little giddy feeling he gets when he sits down to do GIS analysis, and the same goofy smile Yuuri gets when he finds a decorated ceramic piece he really likes. It’s the childish excitement that drew them all into academia when other jobs could pay so much better without the hardship of six grueling years of graduate work.

“Has all of the obsidian been sourced to that area so far? Is it the closest source or is it further? What would make them go further if it’s not?”

“Woah, slow down, Viktor,” he laughs, leading him across the boards that spanned the miniscule creek that split the camp area and the site.

“That’s for you figure out.”

“Can’t wait to start then,” he takes a deep breath and smiles as they walk under the grove of willows closest to the stream. “It’s so beautiful here.”

“Wait till it’s midday and we’ve been on site all morning digging.”

“Fair,” he chuckles.

“Okay turn up the path here,” Phichit points to the trail on the left leading uphill. “The site’s at the top.”

A quick hike up the hill and they were in the central plaza. Spotting ruins tended to require a trained eye, especially buried under the mesquite, but there they were. Stone rubble tumbled into mounds indicating the rooms below. 

“Welcome to Roadmap Village!” Phichit exclaims proudly. 

“So right now we are in the main plaza, there’s a smaller plaza southwest of the main room block. The rooms we’re digging this season are going to connect two prior excavation areas. Units 1, 2, 3, and 4 were dug the first season and 6, 5, and 7 were dug last season, unit 6 borders the plaza,” Phichit points to a sunken area of earth where the backfill settled from the season before.

“What are the dig goals this season?” Viktor inquired as he stooped down to pick up a shattered piece of stone.

“Well we have two units we want to take to floor level and if we finish those then some small test units in the plaza areas.”

Viktor tosses the lithic back to the ground right around where it was resting before, slowly standing.

“Sounds like you and Yuuri run a tight shift around here. I’m glad I was able to join the team,” he smiles, brushing the dirt from his hands.

“Like I said before, we are thrilled to have you,” Phichit beams. 

“I hope so,” Viktor smiles softly, but his eyes are sad, wistful. For a split second, Phichit sees something in Viktor Nikiforov he didn’t know existed. 

Vulnerability.

Not knowing what else to say, Phichit suggests they head back to camp. Walking back down the hill to the vibrantly green trees by the river, he can’t help but wonder what more there is to the living legend that is Viktor Nikiforov.

* * *

_ Field House, 2:00PM _

“I can’t believe you, Phichit!” Yuuri hisses, dragging him into one of the back rooms of the fieldhouse.

“How could you invite him without telling me? This is  _ Viktor Nikiforov _ ! Not just some random lithics analyst! He’s worked at Oldavai Gorge, with the Leakys!!  _ The _ Leakys! Not to mention the work he did in Mesoamerica, the Mediterranean, Turkey and basically everywhere else! Phichit how could you do this to me!? To us!? If Viktor Nikiforov is here, this field season has to go perfectly. The first field season  _ we are leading _ has to go perfectly!”

Yuuri’s voice cracks at the end and he flops down on to the bed in the room, head going straight to his hands as he stares hopelessly at the floor. 

Phichit takes a deep breath. He knew this was coming; part of him hoped it wouldn’t, but after spending six years with Yuuri and just as many in the field with him, he knew this was definitely coming.

“Look, Yuuri,” Phichit steps forward and places his hands on Yuuri’s shoulders. “One, I  _ did _ tell you Viktor was coming. When he emailed me last month to ask if we still needed a lithics analyst, I immediately walked down the hall to your office and asked you about it, but you were too busy editing your article on ceramic sourcing methods and just said ‘Yeah, sure’ before waving me away. Two, you, my friend, are one of the top ceramics analysts in the Southwest, only a recently graduated PhD student who won the Society for American Archaeology dissertation award, and, not to mention received a tenure-track position at UCLA right out of school! That is  _ literally _ unheard of. So no, the field school does not need to go perfectly. Field school never goes perfectly! It’s against the cosmic order of the world.”

Blinking owlishly, Yuuri stares up at Phichit the words sinking in slowly. 

He begins to nod and the tension building in Phichits shoulders decreases.

“Really, Yuuri, I promise this season will go well. I know we’re taking over for Ciao-Ciao and it’s intimidating, but we have each other, and Chris, Georgi, Viktor, Mila, and Sara. We aren’t going at it alone, and you know Ciao-Ciao would drop everything and come the minute we may need him.”

Phichit watches as Yuuri nods again, taking deep breaths.

“Right, right. We can do this.”

“You better believe we can,” Phichit grins.

“But I do think we were being slightly too optimistic about getting out to the field today,” he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, glasses going askew.

Phichit pulls his phone out, grimacing slightly when he sees the time.

“Yeah. Not to mention we haven’t completely unloaded the trucks and everyone needs to pitch their tents still.”

“Well let’s go see how everyone’s fairing and then I’ll get started on dinner. We can have an informal meeting to get everyone on the same page for when we go out in the morning,” Yuuri adds, rising.

“Sounds like a plan, Stan.”

Yuuri looks flatly over at Phichit.

“Just because you don’t have an appreciation for Americanisms, doesn’t mean I can’t.”

“Only if you use them correctly,” Yuuri smirks as he heads back through the house.

“But I did!” Phichit calls indignantly. Yuuri doesn’t deign to reply.

* * *

_ Field House Porch, 6:00PM _

“You didn’t make katsudon?!”

Yuuri blushes slightly at the exclamation from Mila. Being infamous for one recipe made it hard to cook anything else. But after the surprise of Viktor showing up, unpacking, and helping the others pitch their tents, Yuuri was exhausted, and katsudon is slightly too involved for the small field kitchen anyway.

“Well, yeah. Yakisoba is a lot easier to make for a large group,” Yuuri defends himself.

“And it’s certainly one of my favorites that Yuuri makes,” Chris grins, scooping a large portion of fried noodles and chicken onto his plate.

“I think I’ve heard at least three people exclaim about this katsudon?” Viktor muses, putting a finger to his lips. “What is it?”

“Oh it’s-”

“Only one of the best things ever,” Phichit interrupts.

“It’s fried pork with egg and onions on top of rice, basically,” Yuuri states.

“But so much better,” Chris offers.

“Which is why we were looking forward to it!” Mila exclaims.

“I don’t make it every year,” Yuuri shrugs.

“I’d like to try it,” Viktor smiles and suddenly Yuuri’s heart is trying to escape his chest.

“We’ll see if I make it later,” he clears his throat, looking away, blushing. “Anyway, while we’re all here, I want to briefly run over tomorrow's schedule and the field goals before the students come next week.”

Yuuri takes a deep breath and looks back up, ignoring the bright blue eyes to his right. 

“Normally we’ll head to the field at 6:30AM, but since tomorrow is the first day we’ll start at 8:00AM instead. We need to clear the brush that’s currently covering Units 8 and 9. After that, we identify the walls for the two rooms so we can demarcate the units. After that, the opening plan maps need to be drawn and then we can start excavating!”

Yuuri beams, excitement about the excavation getting the better of him. Everyone smiles back and starts chatting animatedly about what was found previous years and what they’re hoping to find. 

Looking back down at his plate to take the last few bites of food, Yuuri senses someone at the table looking at him. He glances back up and meets Viktor’s gaze. It pins him in place, causing his chest to tighten. 

Why is Viktor staring at him? Why isn’t he chatting with Chris or Phichit or  _ someone _ ? 

After a moment longer of his stomach turning, Yuuri decides he isn’t hungry anymore and takes his plate to the kitchen. He doesn’t make his way back out to the porch, instead settling in at the table inside, spreading out past seasons’ reports and the schedule for the coming months. What days they were in the field, what days were field trips, when guests were coming and which days lectures were. Despite going over both more times than he could count, the words and times and order calm his rising anxiety. Yuuri loses himself in the familiar pages as the sun outside steadily sets while the light noise of dishes and cleaning come from the kitchen.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Jumping, Yuuri looks up to find Viktor. Of course it was Viktor. The lilt in his voice is a dead give away. One that makes Yuuri’s heart race.

“Um, no, I’m just looking at the schedule for the season, making sure everything is in place.”

“Oh, good. Is there anything special I should prepare for?” Viktor leans against the wall by Yuuri, the proximity setting tingles off down his spine.

“Well…” Yuuri pauses. “Could you run a few lab days? I’m running ceramics lab, and Georgi has fauna, it’d be wonderful if you could do lithics?” 

Yuuri’s voice lilts up, uncertain of his request until Viktor grins.

“Absolutely!”

Yuuri sighs in relief. 

“Perfect. Then all you need to do is have a lecture on lithics and how to identify them.”

“I’ll be sure to get started on my notes for that then. I tend to get a bit carried away otherwise,” he winks, setting Yuuri’s heart racing.

“Have a goodnight, Yuuri.”

“Thanks, Viktor. You too.”

Yuuri gives a small wave goodbye, heart still pounding in his chest. Sighing, he looks back down at the papers scattered across the table and starts tidying them all up. He didn’t think he had it in him to keep working after that and he needed to head to his tent anyway. Flicking the field house light off, Yuuri could only hope having Viktor around would get easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry for the delayed chapter! I started an online course and had a friend visiting over the weekend and then when I tried to post yesterday AO3 was down, cause that's my luck. In regards to posting, I am probably going to switch to Sundays because it's easier with my schedule.
> 
> Thank you all so much for your comments and kudos! I don't think I've ever had that many comments on the first chapter! It was really motivating, especially since I'm just throwing down words and seeing where they go (for the most part), so thank you once again! And side note, once again not edited, cause bad habit.
> 
> Archaeology Notes: Lithics- used to refer to stone tools (like arrowheads and blades) as well as the scatter that making those tools creates. Room blocks- areas of pueblos that area contained unit. If there is a plaza between two sections of the pueblo that means there are two room blocks. Those are the terms I think I don't explain in the context yet? I'll be going over more site stuff later when the field students arrive. But if anyone has any questions what so ever please ask! I am happy to answer. Thank you all so much again for reading!  
> ~Harky
> 
> [tumblr](http://midnightmooncatcher.tumblr.com/) | [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/mooncatcher21)


	3. Coffee Stains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri gets an early morning surprise, and Chris notices somethings up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off thank you all so much for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos! It means the world to me! Second, I got a beta reader! so chapters 1 and 2 have been edited (as well as this one).

_Yuuri’s Tent, 6:00AM_

Soft beams of sunlight streak through the tent, coaxing Yuuri awake. He takes a deep breath and immediately burrows down into his sleeping bag a bit more to escape the light, but it doesn’t make a difference. He groans, sitting up, rubbing at his eyes while keeping the extra blanket tightly wrapped around him, shivering from the early morning chill hanging in the air.

Yuuri grabs for his glasses, carefully set on the makeshift bedside table by his cot the night before. Slipping the blue frames on his nose he glances around his tent, eyes heavy, wishing he could go back to sleep.

The early hours were not his favorite part of the field season, especially when they followed late study nights. It was almost like he’d never graduated from grad school.

Moving slowly, Yuuri reaches down into his sleeping bag, grabbing his field clothes for the day. He smiles at the warmth radiating from them, so much better than throwing on chilled clothes from his suitcase that sat in the cold all night.

Pulling on his long-sleeve field shirt, hiking pants, socks, and boots, Yuuri drags himself from his tent and heads out into the cool morning air. Taking a deep breath, he heads toward the field house porch.

The coffee wouldn’t make itself.

As he enters the kitchen area, bee-lining for the coffee pot, it isn’t until he’s pulling out the directions for the newly purchased machine that the smell of hot coffee is already wafting steadily from the machine. When he looks a second time, the dark caffeinated liquid he’s definitely addicted to is already sitting ready to be poured.

Yuuri stands in front of the machine, mind trying to calculate who could have been up earlier than him to make it. Despite his dislike of early mornings, Yuuri still tended to be the first up during field season. Whether it was a twisted sense of duty or just another way his body tortured him, he didn’t know. All he did know was that he made the coffee in the morning, no one else. So why was there a steaming, hot pot already waiting for him?

After a few minutes, Yuuri decides he doesn’t care and grabs one of the mugs from the cabinet above the machine, pouring himself a cup, breathing in the scent and exhaling before taking a sip.

Perfection.

Yuuri smiles softly to himself. Whoever made this, he’d marry on the spot.

“Ah, I see you also need a coffee to get going in the morning.”

Yuuri turns.

Viktor stands in front of him, hair dripping, in nothing other than a light blue pair of boxers and Yuuri can’t help but stare at his eight-pack and the silver happy trail running from his navel and dipping down under the band between jutting hip bones.

The clatter of his mug doesn’t even register when it hits the floor until he feels the light burn spreading across his shins.

“Shit!” Yuuri exclaims, ducking immediately to pick up the mug from the floor.

He turns away from Viktor quickly, putting the mug on the counter and grabbing for paper towels.

Quick footsteps and a light ripping indicate Viktor has come to help.

“I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you, Yuuri,” he apologizes, mopping up part of the coffee.

“No, no, I was being careless.”

_And stupid, because you have just have to be a fool this early when Viktor… a hot, half-naked Viktor… is in front of you!_

“I hope those aren’t your only pair of field pants, I know some people only bring one field outfit and I would hate if I ruined yours before we even started.”

When Viktor looks up their eyes meet and Yuuri already feels the fluttering waking up in his stomach. He quickly ducks his head back down, ignoring all the stupid giddy feelings he’s getting.

“It’s okay. I have a few field pants and it’s only coffee, they’ll be brown by the end of today anyway,” he mutters.

Viktor chuckles a bit at that and they finish cleaning the floor in relative silence. It’s not until they’re both standing again that something nags at Yuuri.

“What are you doing up now anyway? I’m usually the first up and preparing the coffee.”

Viktor bites his lip and crosses his arms over his chest.

“Well, I’m a particularly early riser, so I usually come start the coffee and then shower…”

“You shower _before_ going out in the field?” Yuuri asks incredulously.

He couldn’t be sure in the dim light, but… Viktor seemed to be blushing? No, no, no that’s not possible. Viktor Nikiforov doesn’t _blush_. What would he ever have to blush about? He can do no wrong.

“Um, yeah, it’s a morning habit that carries over from home… I also wash the dirt off at the end of the day, but if I don’t shower in the morning, well I just feel wrong all day. It helps wake me up…”

The way Viktor, peeks out from under his fringe, checking Yuuri’s reaction nearly does him in. He turns back to the sink and rinses out the mug he dropped before drying and refilling it. Still sensing Viktor’s unsure presence, he takes a deep breath before turning back toward him.

“Yeah,” he nods. “I get it. I have things like that too.”

The smile he receives in return for his understanding is blinding.

“I’ll go get changed and be back to help set up breakfast.”

Yuuri watches as Viktor scampers out the door, still in nothing but boxers and can’t help but shake his head in amazement.

* * *

_Roadmap Village, 9:00AM_

It feels good to be out on site, doing hard labor, getting everything started for the season. It also gives Yuuri the opportunity to try and stop thinking about the mess this morning was. He made an absolute fool of himself in front of Viktor. _The_ Viktor Nikiforov. Yuuri glances down, catching sight of the coffee stain on his pants he hadn't bothered to change out of. How in the world is Yuuri ever supposed to get through this summer if he keeps making a fool of himself in front of one of the most respected academics of their time?

He sighs before continuing to hack away at the mesquite sitting squarely in the unit, cutting branches methodically while trying not to disturb the roots.

“Yuuri!”

He turns towards Chris’s shout.

“Yeah?”

“The brush is clear over here. Do you want me to start marking out the unit?”

“Yes! That’d be great! Thank you, Chris!”

“Of course,” the man smiled, round glasses sitting precariously close to the end to his nose. Yuuri wanted to know what sort of sorcery the man uses to keep his glasses there. It was all Yuuri could do to keep his own from sliding off.

He turned back to the mesquite and sighed. Clearing brush wasn’t Yuuri’s pick for fun. It reminded him of gardening and while he liked digging the holes for his mother’s flowers, he was never much of a fan of weeding.

He leans back over his work. By snack time at 10:00, he got the mesquite cut back. Next, they’d be able to map the units and set each one’s datum. Wiping his hands off, Yuuri grabs his water and heads over to one of the rare spots of shade. Chris soon settles beside him. They’re off to the side from the main group a bit. Yuuri watches as they pass around the candy bag laughing and chatting.

“Hey, Yuuri.”

“Yes, Chris?” he asks, keeping his head down, focusing on unwrapping his granola bar.

“You do know, Nikiforov’s been eyeing your ass the whole morning, right?”

Yuuri snaps up, looking at him in confusion. Viktor had been working over in Chris’s unit. There’s no way he-

“You’re crazy,” Yuuri clears his throat, blushing.

“Hardly, if I had the same angle he did, I’d be staring too,” Chris winks.

Yuuri rolls his eyes at this. Ever since Yuuri’s first semester with him at Arizona State, Chris would always comment on his rear. It made him uncomfortable at first, but as he grew closer to Chris- and found out he had a boyfriend- he understood it was the man’s odd way of showing he cared.

Chris lets out a laugh before adding, “If he continues to stare, I’ll let you know. Then you can make your move!”

He winks again and Yuuri knows he’s teasing, but little knots tie themselves up in his stomach and he glances over to the larger group only to find Viktor staring right back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry I missed last week. I was actually doing research for my thesis! (I know poor excuse, but I was exhausted...) 
> 
> Huge thanks to my beta Sheri! She read through it all for me over the last week.
> 
> Hope you all are still enjoying this! Once again please let me know if there are any terms you need to be defined or if you have any questions at all about the story or archaeology! I'm always happy to read and reply comments! Also if you want updates on how a chapter is progressing or if it's posted late check out my twitter and tumblr. Thank you so much again for reading! 
> 
> ~Harky
> 
> Term  
> -Datum- the point on an archaeological site were all measurements and coordinates are taken from
> 
> [tumblr](http://midnightmooncatcher.tumblr.com/) | [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/mooncatcher21)


	4. Bags and Tags

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri's starting to think about something other than archaeology for once...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks so much for your continued support! <3 Everyone's comments mean so much to me! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

As the week continues, Yuuri finds himself falling into a routine, but not the one he was expecting. Yes, the early mornings, long days in the sun, afternoons spent on analysis, and study evenings were as expected. The way Viktor seemed to fall into this schedule with him, was not, and he did so seamlessly. In past seasons, Yuuri was last to bed and first to rise. He operated solo. He worked with his colleagues in the day but split away to work after dinner, even though the others were playing cards or drinking, actually putting their feet up after the long day. Yuuri would join occasionally, mainly for the sake of comradery and team morale, but only on weekend evenings when they were still at camp. 

Now, this season, in just one week, Yuuri finds he’s rarely alone. Viktor is always up before him, greeting him with a cup of coffee in the morning, skin and hair still damp from the shower. In the afternoon and evenings, Viktor takes up the spot next to Yuuri, whether it’s on the grass washing artifacts, or at the table diligently working through the PDFs and stacks of old field reports, familiarizing himself with the site. Every now and then turning to Yuuri to ask a question, but otherwise leaving them both in relative silence. And every night they walked out of the field house, turning the lights off, saying goodnight and parting ways. And every night, Yuuri has this ridiculous notion of pulling Viktor back and kissing him.

At some point during the week, Viktor also seemed to manage to switch desks with Phichit which places Viktor squarely next to Yuuri. As the week went on, Yuuri found himself relaxing into the new schedule. It felt natural, right… But agitation soon followed, something in him screaming for more.

‘You should make a move.’

Yuuri’s cheeks heat up just thinking about Chris’s words. As if anyone like Viktor Nikiforov could ever be remotely interested in Yuuri, so he pushes away the strange impulses and focuses on work, not the warmth emanating from the man next to him.

Yuuri doesn’t need… whatever Chris thinks he does. He has archaeology. He has his ceramics and field maps and lesson plans, his research. What more could Yuuri want. Losing himself in pages of reports and books on the Mimbres, and especially in the ceramics of the area, is everything to Yuuri. It’s how he got through his PhD program, how he got tenure so young. School, research, and work were everything and there was nothing that could distract him from that.

And that’s how the week passes. Each day solidifying the new routine and each day Yuuri trying to pull back from a precipice he isn’t sure of. Soon enough it’s the day before the students arrive and Yuuri is running around frantically trying to make sure the system he set up to teach the bag and tag system is put together.

“Do you need help?”

Yuuri whips around to find Viktor coming through the screen door, tattered baseball hat perched on his head. The rivulets of sweat streaking down his face and arms through the layer of dust clinging to his skin indicate he’s just coming back in from the site. 

_ God _ , Yuuri thinks,  _ why does he look good even covered in dirt? _

“Umm…” Yuuri bites his lip, looking down at his mock boxing system scattered around him. He had stayed in from the field with Phichit to set up the activity for tomorrow night, who conveniently decided he needed to make a run to the store. 

“Yes, actually, that’d be great,” he finally exhales.

Viktor grins and picks his way through the boxes and artifacts laid out before plopping down next to Yuuri, his knee ever so slightly touching Yuuri’s own. As Viktor leans over, examining the contents spread across the floor, Yuuri swallows thickly, trying to ignore the tingling sensation making its way up his leg.

“So, what exactly are we doing?” Viktor asks, hand stroking his beard in contemplation.

Yuuri takes a deep breath, knowing how out of the ordinary this idea is and that Viktor could judge him and his teaching methods. 

“Well…” Yuuri pauses trying to figure out how to start. “Have you ever done work with field school collections before?”

Viktor nods, and Yuuri continues.

“So then you know how difficult finding what you need can be and how everyone messes up some aspect of the system making for… interesting times for researchers to say the least.”

Chuckling a bit at that, Viktor nods again.

“So part of that is because the students are learning, which is why they are here, but the other part is that they don’t know what happens with the material after the field season. To try and counteract this, Phichit and I came up with the idea to have students go through boxes with mistakes and field notes that lack certain aspects that might be needed for research. We’re hoping by doing this, students will learn and understand the importance of the system.”

Yuuri fiddles with his hands, looking intently at the crack in the floorboards. Yuuri and Phichit worked so hard on this lesson. After both of them had done stints in archaeology labs and tried to piece together where an artifact was actually was located when it wasn't in the correct box or tried to find details in field notes that didn’t exist, they decided this was needed. An interactive lesson plan that was their brainchild three years now. Yuuri doesn’t particularly want to see the look of judgment on Viktor’s face. He’s not sure his confidence can handle it.

“Wow!”

Looking up, Yuuri sees Viktor leaning towards him grinning.

“That’s such a good idea, Yuuri! Are you using boxes and artifacts from previous digs?” 

“No, we’re making some sample boxes with specific mistakes that are common and asking for students to go through and pull certain items that might not be labeled correctly or for specific items in the field notes that aren’t recorded.”

“Great! So what still needs doing?” Viktor leans in eagerly, his knee fully touching Yuuri’s now. 

Yuuri feels his cheeks heat up at the closeness and doesn’t know what to do. Silence takes hold as Yuuri tries to string words together into a coherent sentence.

“C-Could you please place the sherds and the lithics in the bags?” Yuuri motions toward the piles spread out in front of them.

“Absolutely!” Viktor replies, grabbing for the closest pile and carefully placing them in the bag before passing it to Yuuri who writes out two tags for the bag. One to tie off the top with and the other to go inside. 

They work in systematic silence for a while, but Viktor soon asks another question.

“Where are the artifacts from? If not older digs?”

“Oh, Phichit and I did up some simple ceramic vessels and Seung-gil knapped some points and flakes for us.”

“Seung-gil knaps!?” Viktor’s eyes sparkle.

It’s… cute. The way Viktor gets so excited about lithics, but Yuuri still couldn’t quite understand… They were rocks. Keeping the thought to himself, he continues the conversation.

“Yeah, do you?” Yuuri asks this like he doesn’t already know the answer.

“A bit,” Viktor offers. “I don’t do experimental archaeology much, but it’s fun every now and then.”

Yuuri can’t help the chuckle that slips out. It was well known that Viktor could make near perfect replicas on the spot of just about any point or biface type.

“What?” Viktor asks, mouth quirked in amusement.

“Oh, nothing,” Yuuri turns back to writing tags.

A moment of silence passes again, just the soft rustle of branches from the large oak standing proudly in the middle of the lawn. 

“You said you created the ceramics for the sherds, right?”

“Yeah, with Phichit,” Yuuri replies, not sure why it was important.

“Do you have any whole pieces left?”

Yuuri puts down his sharpie and fully looks over to Viktor. The other man is still diligently filling bags up, but he’s turned away. Yuuri goes back to writing tags before replying. 

“Yeah, I kept a miniature I made.”

The small pot turned out so well Yuuri couldn’t bring himself to smash it. The clay curved perfectly, the black clouds from the smoke creating a beautiful marbled surface of black and red. The small thing made him giddy when it came out of the fire. A similar feeling to finding a lost treasure in back storage of a lab or collection center. Something about it made the intense love he has for ceramics shine. He reasoned that it might come in handy to have an example of one of the common vessel forms.

“May I see it?”

Yuuri’s stomach drops at the request.

“It’s really not that interesting-” he begins to protest, but when he meets Viktor’s gaze something in him gives.

“-but if you really want to, I guess you can.”

Yuuri quickly gets up, walking inside to his desk and grabs the box. Part of him thinks he should simply leave it and go back to tell Viktor he forgot it back in LA. It’d be a good enough excuse…  but the small pit in his stomach won’t let him. Part of him wants to share what he’s created with Viktor. He’s proud of it, why shouldn’t he share it?

Nodding to himself, he takes it out to the porch and sits back down by Viktor who’s bagging the last of the artifacts. Yuuri settles and passes the box over, turning his attention away to focus once again on the labels, but a soft gasp that pulls him away from his task. 

“Yuuri, you made this?” 

Viktor’s looking in awe at the pot that fits perfectly in his cupped hands.

Yuuri nods.

“It’s beautiful.”

He turns it, running his thumb around the rim of the pot, smiling to himself. 

Yuuri’s cheeks burn as he watches Viktor handle the vessel with so much care and can’t help but wonder what it’d feel like to have that man’s hands on his on body, touching him just as reverently.

Shaking his head to clear it of the ridiculous thought, he goes back to finishing the tags. He’s thankful when the rest of the crew arrives, taking Viktor back into conversation and signaling that it was time to start packing up the boxes and get ready for dinner. 

As he stirs the pot of chili, for once Yuuri’s brain isn’t filled completely by ceramic type systems, or field maps, or reports that need writing. In between the small memos to himself on what still needs to be done for tomorrow and research that needs to be done that night, light grey hair and strikingly bright blue eyes flit in and out, making Yuuri unsure he wants to concentrate on anything else.

* * *

_ Sunday, Field House, 1:30PM _

Yuuri and Phichit stand, waiting for the caravan of cars led by Mila and Sara to enter the campgrounds. They come in one by one, crawling down the steep hill and Phichit and Chris direct them into parking spots off the edge of dirt path surrounding the pond.

A buzz of anticipation sets in and Yuuri can feel his nerves rising, unsure of what to expect.

Once everyone’s cars are parked, the students gather around. One boy with bleached hair and a red tuft of bangs begins to chat animatedly with the two boys next to him. Yuuri hasn’t had him in a class yet, but he knows the boy's name is Kenjirou. He was in one one of Phichit’s classes the last semester. The other two, Leo and Guang Hong, took Yuuri’s introductory Southwest course in the Fall and he’s happy to see them again.

Yuuri couldn’t recognize the other two, a solemn-looking dark-haired boy and a blond one. 

They must be Otabek and Yuri. 

Yuuri approaches them, smiling.

“Hi! You must by Otabek and Yuri, correct?”

The dark haired boy nods and the blond scoffs.

Yuuri bites his lip. “Well, it’s nice to meet you both. We’ll be setting up camp before our first class and introductions at 4:00. Let us know if you need help pitching your tents.” 

Both boys nod and Yuuri awkwardly smiles again and turns to leave. Before he can get the entire way away though, Viktor steps out from the field house.

“Viktor?! What are you doing here?!”

Yuuri snaps his head over to the blond boy. He’s glaring, disgust apparent on his face as he lets out something between a yell and a snarl.

“Ah, hello, Yuri!” Viktor grins.

“You’re supposed to be in Ethiopia this season!” The student shouts.

Viktor glances briefly over to Yuuri.

“I had a change of plans,” he states. 

Yuri isn’t impressed with the response, scowling and stomping back to his car to pull his gear out, muttering under his breath.

Phichit’s brow creases and he voices the question Yuuri is thinking.

“You know him?” he asks Viktor.

“Oh, yes, he’s my cousin!” Viktor smiles politely before following Yuri to help him get his tent set up, a conversation of hushed sharp whispers drifting from that direction.

Yuuri and Phichit turn to each other, eyebrows raised. What have they gotten themselves in to?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hope everyone is doing well and had happy holidays (if you celebrated!) Sorry I missed posting last week (had family in town and zine pieces to finish, hehe).
> 
> I know this chapter was super term heavy! So here is the list! 
> 
> Knap- Short for flint knap, it's when you shape chert, obsidian, or another conchoidal fracturing stone by striking at it with either another stone or antler.
> 
> Flakes- what is created by the process of knapping a piece of stone to create a tool
> 
> Experimental archaeology- when a researcher tries to replicate the process done in the past to examine the outcome and determine how it may show in the archaeological record
> 
> Point- Projectile point or arrowhead
> 
> Biface- a type of prehistoric tool flaked on both sides
> 
> FYI I currently spend my days going through boxes of stone and ceramic from arch sites. It's amazing how many flakes there are. As always, please let me know if you have any comments or questions! I love hearing from everyone! Till next week!
> 
> [tumblr](http://midnightmooncatcher.tumblr.com/) | [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/mooncatcher21)


	5. Stolen Glances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri's pissed, the field school officialy starts, and Yuuri and Viktor have some... moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for your comments and support so far! I had fun writing this chapter and I hope you have just as much fun reading it!

_Sunday, Yura’s Tent 2:00 PM_

“So why aren’t you in Ethiopia?” Yuri hisses at Viktor as they unload his car.

“Yura, plans change.”

Yuri hears the emphasis placed on the last word of the sentence and frowns.

“You don’t just… change plans like going to Ethiopia!”

Yuri yanks his bright yellow tent out of the trunk and walks it over to the tarp he already has laid out on the ground.

Viktor just follows him back over, not responding to the outburst.

Yuri tugs the zipper to his tent slightly too forcefully, snagging it and grumbling before getting it free. People didn’t do shit like that, and Viktor _shouldn’t_ have. He was the freaking director of the project out there and he upped and left!

This was supposed to be Yuri’s summer. His chance to work with new people. To work with _Yuuri Katsuki_. He was the best Southwestern ceramicist there was as far as Yuri was concerned, and he was so proud of getting into this field school and now Viktor was here fucking everything up!

He pulls the poles out and tosses them to the ground, rummaging for the directions.

“Yura, look I know how much you were looking forward to this. I do… I just…”

Viktor’s brow creased and he sighs.

“It’s a career choice,” Yuri mocks, having heard the excuse more than enough times. It was the same one he used when he went to grad school, when he left at months at a time for the field and research and conferences when he got the position at UChicago. The same words always echo in the silences that hold after they’re said.

“It’s… more than a career choice this time, Yura.”

Disbelief draws Yuri’s eyes up to Viktor. Nothing was ever _not_ a career choice, but the pleading in Viktor’s eyes isn’t the puppy dog expression he uses to get what he wants. For once, Yuri is inclined to believe him.

“How’s it more than a career choice?” Yuri grumbles as he feeds the pole through the loops at the top of the tent.

“It… _feels_ right,” Viktor replies, smiling softly.

Yuri clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes. The pair lapse into silence as the tent takes shape and Yuri’s cot is set up with his cheetah print sleeping bag and matching duffle bag next to it. When they’re finished, Viktor tells him to be sure he isn’t late for the meeting at four. Yuri nods in acknowledgment and flops onto the cot when Viktor leaves, mulling over the strange words his cousin said.

* * *

_Sunday, Field House Porch 4:00 PM_

And here it is. Yuuri’s least favorite part of the season…

The opening lesson. All field basics squished into two hours where the students are antsy and eager for dinner. But what else is Yuuri supposed to do? Have them get up at 4:00 AM to go over field procedures?

Yuuri smiles, amused by his own thought when he’s brought back by Phichit starting the introductions.

“Okay everyone, please go around and say your name, what year you are, what school you’re from, and what you are most excited for. Professors and grad students please add your specializations.”

One by one the professor introduce themselves. Phichit starts, explaining his love of the lab and technology in archaeology, followed by Chris and his sonnet to architecture. Georgi’s line of “life is fleeting, kids, look at all the bones” gets a chuckle or two and Yuuri can’t help but wonder if they’ll laugh the fortieth time they hear the joke. Viktor follows Georgi, detailing the wonders of lithics. Mila gives a short explanation of social networks, and Sara talks about her interest in the archaeology of gender, Seung-gil gives a short remark about experimental archaeology.  Before he’s aware, it’s Yuuri’s turn. He keeps it short and to the point knowing how long professors can go on about their research sometimes. After he finishes, they turn to the students.

“I’m Kenjirou Minami! I go to UCLA and was in Professor Chulanont’s archaeology course! I love ceramics and am so excited to be in the field finally! Oh! And I’m a rising Junior!”

“I’m Gua Hong Ji. I also go to UCLA. I just finished my freshman year and I’m not sure what I’m interested in yet, but I’m excited for the experience.”

“Leo de Iglesia. I go to the University of Arizona, just finished my sophomore year. I’m really excited to get some more hands-on experience in the field after reading so much about it for classes.”

“Otabek Altin, I go to UC Boulder. I wanted a taste of the field to see if it’s what I want to pursue and I’m interested in lithic technologies.”

“I’m Yuri Plisetsky and I just finished my freshman year at Arizona State University. I’m interested in ceramics and trade networks.”

“Ooo, two Yuri’s! We need nicknames then don’t we?” Phichit grins.

“We can call Yuri Yurio since he’s younger,” Viktor offers smiling.

Yuri balks. “Why do I have to be Yurio??”

“Would you prefer to be Yura?” Viktor shoots back, his lips spread into a chilling smile.

Yuri grumbles and Yuuri can see he’s still fuming about the name, but the threat seems to do the trick. Yuuri glances at Viktor, surprised by how swiftly he took care of that.

Turning his attention back to the class Yuuri stands and takes over.

“Okay, so now we’re going to do a quick review of the syllabus and weekly schedule and then dive into the methods we use for this site!”

Yuuri walks through the expectations for everyone at camp, the daily schedule, chore list rotation, and their weekend trips. He can’t help but notice Viktor and Chris whispering in the back corner to each other, winking every time they caught Yuuri’s eye. He keeps his head turned away from the pair after about the fifth time, not needing their antics.

“If you have any problems please let me or any of the other instructors know, we will do our best to help. After dinner clean up, please remain on the porch. We have an activity to explain the bagging and tagging system we use here. Also, this is our cook, Tammy. She makes dinners for us while we’re here and we will have bagels, oatmeal, and sandwich supplies for breakfast and lunch. I am sure we’re all hungry so please line up for dinner!”

With that, the students begin to chatter and move to get food. He closely watches the dynamics that are already growing in the group. Getting in line for dinner, he notices Viktor’s eyes on him again. When their gazes meet, Viktor makes his way over to Yuuri.

“Good intro lesson,” he smiles softly.

“It was okay,” Yuuri shrugs. “The big test will be whether the activity works after dinner.”

“I’m sure it will. It’s too brilliant not to.”

Yuuri blushes slightly at the praise, edging toward the end of the line for the enchilada casserole.

“The boxes are still in the office area, right?” he asks, busying himself with a plate.

“Yup! Safe and sound. I’ll help you get them out after dinner.”

A small nudge and smile accompany the reply and Yuuri blushes again, rushing over to his seat by Phichit.

* * *

_Sunday, Field House Office, 9:30 PM_

Yuuri makes his way back to the field house by flashlight as the chill of the evening sets in, crickets chirping a soft symphony. The shower was just what he needed after the stressful afternoon. What Yuuri really wants is to just go back to his tent, curl up, and sleep, but that’s wishful thinking. There’s a stack of papers on his desk just waiting for him to read and he has to go back through the activity the students did. It seemed to go well enough. The grumbles of discouragement and rage certainly were entertaining and exactly the reaction he wanted for the students to understand what they need to do during the season.

Walking back to the field house he’s surprised to see the light still on. With a start time of 6:00 AM everyone should be in bed right-

His musings are cut off by the soft, deep melody floating out into the night air. Yuuri pauses to listen, only catching the word “unforgettable” as it drifts through the open window. As he enters the screen door and crosses the porch to the front entrance he can’t see anyone at first, but then Viktor’s there, a book in hand, hips swaying as he steps lightly and turns in time to the music.

Yuuri freezes, staring as Viktor dances around the room while _reading_ of all things. He can’t bring himself to break the trance Viktor has placed over the room and leans against the wall, taking in the spectacle. Each turn and step perfectly timed to the music, arm gracefully held out to an unseen partner like he’s calling for them to step in closer.

The exact moment Viktor spots Yuuri is palpable. Their eyes meet as Viktor turns once again. He blinks rapidly, bringing himself back from whatever world he cocooned himself in, staring at Yuuri a moment before his jaw drops slightly, and he rushes over to his computer stopping the music.

“Sorry! I thought everyone had gone to bed,” he gushes.

It takes Yuuri a moment to realize what exactly he’s apologizing for.

“Oh, no. It’s fine. You can keep it on. But, do you always dance with your books?”

Viktor looks down at the book still in his hand and chuckles to himself, placing it on his desk.

“I think better with music on and when I’m moving. I guess you could call it a bad habit,” he shrugs.

The two men are silent a touch longer, standing still. Yuuri’s about to go to his desk, but then Viktor reaches his hand out to Yuuri.

“I wouldn’t mind a human partner though,” Viktor gazes steadily at him. “That is if you want.”

Yuuri’s eyes go wide in astonishment as Viktor offers him his hand, clear blue eyes tinged with a hint of… hope? Uncertainty?

He takes Viktor’s outstretched hand hesitantly. Yuuri rarely danced with a partner and his days in the studio ended when he was in high school. He used dance as an occasional stress outlet, but this…

Viktor takes Yuuri’s hand in his own and the one simple touch has Yuuri drowning; in what he’s not sure. Viktor turns the music back on and places his hand lightly on Yuuri’s back as Yuuri places his hand on Viktor’s shoulder.

As they sway together, Yuuri prays Viktor can’t tell how fast his heart is beating and focuses on following Viktor’s lead. At first, it’s tense, his entire body unsure what to do with this kind of proximity, but then Yuuri finds himself relaxing, smiling. Something about this, Viktor’s measured steps, the gentle sway, the roughness of their hands against each others’... it’s all so familiar. Yuuri could swear they’d danced together before… but he would have remembered something this magical.

The song ends and Viktor smiles softly, his face so close almost as if Viktor is going to-

Yuuri breaks away, breathing heavily, looking down at his feet.

“Thank you for the dance,” Viktor whispers.

Heart still racing, Yuuri looks up, not sure of his tongue in his mouth as he replies, “You’re welcome.”

He quickly sits down at his desk and pulls the stack of papers he needs to go through in front of him, rereading the first sentence at least ten times before glancing to the side.

His imagination must be really running wild tonight because Viktor looks slightly crestfallen.

He spends the next two hours stealing glances at Viktor, wondering what he must be thinking of Yuuri. He was so unprofessional, he should have said no. And the direction his thoughts continued to head were hardly professional either.

Yuuri sighs and leans back from the work he’s barely gotten through, glancing at his watch, it’s closing in on midnight and he needs to get some sleep before the first full day with the students tomorrow. He peeks back over at Viktor to find the other man looking back.

Snapping his head forward, Yuuri clears his throat.

“Um, I think we should probably head to bed. Early morning, you know.”

From the corner of his eye, Yuuri sees Viktor check his watch.

“It’s that time already?!” Viktor exclaims.

A chuckle bubbles out from Yuuri’s lips and he smiles.

“Yeah, I swear time in the field moves faster than normal.”

“It certainly seems to,” Viktor agrees, sorting his papers into place and saving the open document. “I get so caught up sometimes I lose track of time.”

“Another bad habit?” Yuuri teases.

Viktor snorts, “Yes.”

Turning off all the lights and heading out. Viktor pauses, glancing toward his tent.

“Good night, Yuuri. I hope you sleep well.”

He gives a little wave and smiles.

Yuuri gives a small wave in return.

Once Viktor turns around Yuuri rushes back to his tent, stomach fluttering with a nervous-excited energy he hasn’t felt in so long. Once there, he dresses for bed, head spinning and tripping over his thoughts. Yuuri just danced with Viktor! He wants to dance with Viktor again! Should Yuuri be dancing with a co-worker in the field house? Yuuri throws himself on his cot and hugs his pillow to his chest, grinning to himself, hardly believing this evening was real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thank you so much for reading! I had so much fun writing this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! I'm planning on going into the actual dig methods when they’re in the field and not bore everyone with them while they sit at a table (which is like literally what happens when you get to a new field site, even after reading project reports). 
> 
> My next chapter won't be out for a touch longer (maybe 1.5-2 weeks). I am going to New Mexico for research! Let me know in the comments if you want to see pictures of anything in particular. I do have old field pictures I can share if anyone is interested in that part too! And any questions at all please let me know! Thank you all so so much once again! And a shoutout to my beta!
> 
> Bonus point to whoever can tell me what the song I referenced is and who performed it XD (probably way too easy). If you wanna chat or anything follow me on tumblr or twitter!
> 
> [tumblr](http://midnightmooncatcher.tumblr.com/) | [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/mooncatcher21)


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